Taxi drivers are our night time saviours after a heavy splurge in the city centre.

From businessmen, families and those that are more than a little bit inebriated... drivers meet all kinds of people from all different walks of life.

Chelmsford City Taxi owner, Ismail Emin, spoke to Essex Live about the turbulent voyages of being a taxi driver in Chelmsford.

Ismail said: “We know our job as taxi drivers is to take people from point to point and we know how to deal with both drunk and normal people.

“We have a lot of regular customers, it’s just getting bigger and bigger, we’re very busy. It is busier through the night with people going out but through the day we take a lot of people to work or hospitals.

“We have quality Chelmsford drivers who provide a quality service. They are educated and trained on how to deal with problems. We try and give them the best journey possible and to make them happy.”

However, not every journey is plain sailing- and with the help of Ismail, we have complied a list of seven things that annoy taxi drivers in Chelmsford.

1. People running off without paying

When asked about some of the most annoying part of the job, Ismail said: “Sometimes people do not want to pay the fare and they run out of the cars.”

2. People getting abusive

While most journey’s run smoothly, one of Ismail’s drivers was assaulted: “One driver was slapped a few times in Chelmsford. He picked customers up from the station and they tried to rob him, but he stopped them.” Ismail said while these incidents are rare, they sometimes do have to call the police.

3. Loosing wing mirrors

So far Chelmsford City Taxis have lost 22 wing mirror just this year. “Our taxis don’t get damaged too much but we have lost 22 wing mirrors in the past year. Some people try to rob the cars of money and valuables,” Ismail added.

4. Troublesome customers

Taxis pick up all types of people from the drunks that spew up their guts, to the rude commuters rushing for work. Ismail said: “We only really carry customers for ten minutes and if you’re good with them usually they’re good with you. We don’t have many problems but some customers can cause trouble and can be upset from work or if they’re late.”

5. Changing destinations

Is it lack of geographical knowledge or just a change in the plan for pre drinks? People change their minds on where they want to get dropped off all the time which Ismail reveals is a pet hate for drivers: “They go to destinations to drop them off and then they mean somewhere else.”

6. Blaming the driver for being late

When asked about whether drivers get blamed for customers who are running late, Ismail said: “Yes we do. The drivers know how certain customers are but are trained to deal with them.”

7. Congestion!!!

The congestion in the city centre is the bane of all of our lives, but for taxi drivers in particular it is a nightmare. He said: “Traffic is getting really bad over the last two years. Chelmsford City council need to look at how they are going to reduce the congestion, it is a big problem. I think another ring road would help the traffic in Chelmsford.”